Headaches are incredibly common, but the cause of a headache can be extremely varied. That is why finding the cause of headaches can be quite difficult and time consuming. The cause of a headache could be due to an accident, spinal misalignment, allergies, illnesses, medication, hormones, change of seasons, bad posture and stress. All of these must be looked into and ruled out to determine the accurate cause of headache.
New Daily Persistent Headache
When determining the cause of a headache, a medical doctor will want to know quite a few things. Have this information ready for the doctor when you visit. Answer the questions below in a notebook or on pieces of paper ready to hand to the doctor during your visit.
- When did the headaches first start appearing ?
- Where is the headache located on the head ?
- Is the pain all over the head or in one place ?
- Is it a throbbing or dull pain ?
- Is there a pattern to the headaches ?
- How long do the headaches last ?
- Are there any noticeable triggers for example a certain type of food, does it appear when exercising or always occurs at work ?
- What illnesses do you have and what medication are you taking ?
- Are you taking any over the counter medicines or vitamins and herbs ?
- Have you gone to a chiropractor or acupuncturist ?
- Have you recently changed your diet, caffeine, alcohol or nicotine intake ?
- Where do you work and what is your function ?
- Have you been near toxic chemicals ?
- How much sleep do you get and do you sleep well ?
- Is there a history of headaches in your family ?
- What is your family medical history ?
- Any stressful occurrences or situations lately or around the time the headaches started ?
The medical doctor will want to find out if there is an illness as cause of the headache and may order blood tests and other tests if needed. Most headaches are of the migraine, tension or cluster variety, which are not caused by an illness. To rule out headaches caused by life threatening illnesses, CT scans or MRIs may need to be taken. An accurate diagnosis for cause of headaches is imperative to correctly treat the cause of headache.
Some illnesses with severe headaches that need to be checked for are: tumors, meningitis, giant cell arteritis (inflammation of blood vessels in the head), head injury, carbon monoxide poisoning or aneurysm in the brain especially a burst one. If you do not get severe headaches often and now have one with a fever, most definitely get to a doctor quickly. If you have a bad headache and cannot move your head forward or back, again get to a doctor quickly. Any headache that is clearly out of the ordinary, especially if it's severe and you are over 50, get to a doctor quickly. You never know what could be the cause of the headache and it is better to be safe than sorry.
The above information thankfully comes from theheadacheinfosite.com at the following link.